The pharmaceutical industry has gone too far. It is assuming a role
in continuing medical education (CME) that is inappropriate for an industry
with a vested interest in selling prescription drugs. Worse, many medical
educational institutions not only allow the industry's encroachments but also
welcome and even solicit pharmaceutical company participation in programs
that should be the profession's sole responsibility. As a result, CME is now
so closely linked with the marketing of pharmaceuticals that its integrity
and credibility are being questioned. The problem is not new, but it has recently
grown to alarming proportions.